Connecting device



I Jan. 27, 1942.

J. l. HULSHIZER v CONNECTING DEVICE Filed Aug. 16, 1940 H15 ATTORNEY.

Patented Jan. 27, 1942 f g I 2,271,075

ES OFFICE CONNECTING nEvIoEl I Joseph I; Hulshi'zer, Stewartsville,"N. .L, assignor to Ingersoll-Rand Company, New

' corporation of New Jersey York, N. Y., a

Application August 16, 1940, Serial No. 352,849 I 3Claims. crest-53) This invention relates to connecting devices, and more particularly to aconnecting devicefor attaching a lever to a rotary member, as for example a fluid control valve.

One object of the invention is connection between the rotary member and the lever.

' Another object is to enable the lever to be conveniently and expeditiously connected to and removed from the rotary member. c

Other objects will be in part obvious and in part pointed out hereinafter.

' ,In the drawing accompanying this specification and in which similar reference numerals refer to similar parts, Figure l is an elevation, partly in section, of a portion of a rock drill equipped with a control valve andan operating lever connectedthereto in accordance with the practice of-the invention,

Figure 2 is a transverse view taken'through Figure 1 on the line-2-2, l

Figure 3 is a transverse view taken through Fi ure 2 on the line 3-3, I I

Figure 4 is a perspectiveview of a control valve and its lever, and y I V 1 v Figure 5 is a view similar to Figure 2 illustrat ing the manner in which the lever is assembled on the control Valve.

Referring to the drawing the invention is shown applied, for illustrative purposes, to a rock drill of the hammer type comprising a cylinder 28 having a piston chamber 2| to accommodate a piston 22 which is reciprocable in the piston chamber for delivering blows to a working implement (not shown).

The piston has a front extension 23 that is guided by a head 24 forming a closure for the front end of the piston chamber and in the stem 23 are flutes 25 that serve, among other functions, to convey pressure fluid from the front end of the piston chamber to the forward part of the rock drill and thus through the working implement actuated by the piston 22 for expelling the cuttings from the hole being drilled.

An inlet passage 26 is shown as leading to the front end of the piston chamber to supply pressure fluid forwardly of the piston 22 for actuating it rearwardly, and leading from an intermediate portion of the piston chamber is an exhaust port 21 that is normally controlled by the piston 22.

In accordance with a well known practice the exhaust port is controlled by a valve 28 for selectively opening the piston chamber directly to the atmosphere to permit the free exhaust of pressure fluid from the piston chamber, as durto assure a firm y ing the normal operation of the drill, or to close the exhaust port to direct pressure fluid through the flutes 25 for. cleansing the drill hole.

The valve 28 is arranged in a bore 29 traversing the exhaust port 21. It is of the rotary cylindricaltype having a notch 38 in one side to afford communication between the inner and outer portions of theexhaust port 21 in what may be termed the open position of the valve, and the portion 3| of the valve 28 lying in the transverse plane of the notch 3|] serves as a closure for the exhaust port 21. d

When the valve 28 occupies this latter position the pressure fluid admitted into the front end of the piston chamber will be restrained from passing to the atmosphere through the exhaust port 21. The pressure fluid will then move the piston rearwardly to maintain the upper ends of the flutes 25 in the piston chamber and pressure fluid will flow through the flutes and associated passages into the drill hole to remove the cuttings therefrom. After the drill hole has been cleansed the valve is again rotated to a position-in which the. notch 38 communicates the several branches of the exhaust port 21 with each other and the pressurefluid will then, be exhausted from the ends of. the piston chamber accordingly as the piston 22 passes to one side or the other of the exhaust port.

The valve 28 is of generally cylindrical shape. It is of greater length than the bore 29 and carries a head 32 at one end which preferably lies within an enlarged recess 33 located at an end of and coaxial with the bore 29. On the opposite end of the valve 28 is a reduced stem 34 which projects from an end of the bore 29 to engage a lever 35 whereby the valve 28 may be rotated to the controlling positions, these positions being indicated by notches 36 and 31 in the surface of the cylinder 28 adjacent an end of the bore 29 to receive a tooth 38 carried by the lever 35.

On the periphery of the stem 34 of the valve are a. plurality of longitudinally extending ribs 39, four in the present instance, for interlocking engagement with a hub 40 of the lever 35. The ribs 39 are shown as extending from the intermediate portion of the stem 34 to the outer end thereof. The side surfaces 4| of the ribs are arranged parallel with each other and the outer surface 42 of each rib is inclined with respect to the axis of the stem toward the outer end of the rib so that said outer end constitutes the portion of maximum height of the rib.

The hub 48 of the lever is likewise provided with inclined surfaces 43 to engage the inclined surfaces 42 of the ribs. The inclined surfaces 43 are the bottoms of grooves 44 in the wall of the bore 45 of the hub, into which the stem 34 extends, and the side surfaces 46 of the grooves 44 are spaced in such wise with respect to each other as to assure a nice sliding fit with the side surfaces 4! of the ribs 39.

In order to enable the ready passage of the ribs 39 through the hub 40, for assembling the lever on the valve 28, the wall of the bore 45 is provided with slots 41 equalling in number the ribs 39. The slots 41 are preferably located midway between the grooves 44 and are of slightly greater depth, throughout their lengths, than the ribs 39. v i

The grooves 44 and the slots 41 extend from the intermediate portion of the hub to the outer end thereof, and in the inner surface of the hub 40 is a recess 48 of suitable diameter to accommodate the end of the valve adjacent the stem 34.

To the end that the inclined surfaces 43 and 42 may be held in firm engagement with each other and that the tooth 38 may be held yieldingly in the notches 36 and 31 a spring 49 is disposed about the portion of the valve 28 lying within the recess 33 to seat against the head 32 with one end and with its other end against the bottom 50 of the recess 33.

The mode of assembling the device is as follows: After the spring 49 is placed in the recess 33 the valve is inserted through the recess into the bore 29 and pressure is applied to the head 32 to compressthe spring 49 and thereby cause the opposite end of the valve to protrude from the end of the bore. The lever 35 is then so positioned that the ribs 39 may enter the slots 41 and pressed inwardly until the hub lies rearwardly of the ribs 39. The lever is next rotated with respect to the stem 34 to bring the grooves 44 into alignment with the ribs 33. If then the head 32 is released the spring 49 will retract the valve and bring the inclined surfaces of the ribs into firm seating engagement with the inclined surfaces '43. The force exerted by the spring will also press the tooth 38 against the surface of the cylinder adjacent the bore 29 or, if the valve occupies a controlling position, will main tain the tooth 38 in one of the notches 36 oil 31.

In the event that it be desired to remove the lever 35 from the valve it is merely necessary to apply pressure to the head 32 for compressing the spring 49. The pressure upon the lever will thereby be relieved and the latter may be readily moved out of engagement with the inclined surfaces of the ribs. The lever may then be rotated until the slots 41 are in alignment with the ribs and may be removed from the stem 34. l

I claim:

1. Apparatus of the character described, comprising a. male member having a rib extending longitudinally thereof, an inclined surface on the rib inclining longitudinally of the member, and a female member having a slot to permit the passage of the rib therethrough and having an inclined surface to engage the first mentioned inclined surface upon relative rotational movement of the members for holding the members together. I

2. Apparatus of the character described, comprising a male member having a rib extending longitudinally thereof, an inclined surface on the rib inclining longitudinally of the member toward the outermost end of the rib, and a female member to receive the male member having a slot to permit the passage of the rib therethrough and having a groove to receive the rib, there being an inclined surface in the groove to engage the first mentioned inclined surface for preventing removal of the female member from the male member.

3. Apparatus of the character described, comprising a male member having a plurality of inclined ribs extending longitudinally thereof and each rib having an inclined surface inclining longitudinally of the member, a female member to receive the male member having a plurality of slots to permit the passage of the ribs therethrough, and inclined surfaces on the female member alternating with the slots to engage the inclined surfaces of the ribs for holding the members together.

' JOSEPH I. HULSHIZER. 

